Matic



May 26, 1931. w. B. HALE AIR CONCENTRATOR OR COMPRESSOR Filed Oct. 27, 1928 Patented May 26, 1931 lUNITED STATES WILLIAM PATENT OFFICE B. HALE, OF` HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO HALE PNEUv- MATIC, LTD., OF LOVELOCK, 1\l'E.V.l-LDA, A. CORPORATION OF NEVADA AIR CONCENTRATOR OR COMPRESSOR Application filed October 2'?, V19278; `Serial No. 315,384.-

rIhis invention relates to lapparatus for concentrating or compressing a gas. VVliile the invention can be used: for compressing any gas, it 'would have its greatest'usefuh ,5 ness in compressing oi concentrating air. Compressedl air is'now used in very large quantities for industrial purposes and Avery generally at a pressure of from seventy-live to a hundred pounds per square inch.v In many places where compressed air is V'used in considerable quantities, it is not convenient to provide a large-sized air compressor, but there are now available small rotary compressors of a few inches in diameter which can be drivenat a high speed by an el'ectiic'motor and which operate to compress a small quantity vof air,y and developing a relatively high pressure inthe accumulator in which the air is stored.

l The general object of this invention is to provide simple means for utilizing such a gas or air under pressure, to accumulate a relatively large quantity of air or gas at a slightly lower pressure.

Accordingv to the invention I employ one or more injectors having high pressure nozzleswhich, in operation entrain the gasor air of a lower pressure so as to increase'the quantity of air or gas which is compressed or concentrated. This injector, or injectors,

is used in conjunction with an accumulator to which it delivers the gas or air. VThis accumulator .is maintained under pressure.

One ,of the objects of the present 'inven' is vdescri-bed in the following specification,

simple apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 2 isa longitudinal section taken throughV theinjectors illustrated in Figure l. Figure 3 is a vertical section through a choker which I prefer tolemploy between the injectorsand the accumulator.

Figure 4 is a cross-section `upon an enlarged scale taken about on the line VlL-'4l of Figure 3. Y i

Before proceeding to. a detailed description of my apparatus and method, it should be stated that according to `my invention, I employ an injector having a high pressure inlet through which vI liberate an air current and permit the gas or air which is to bel compressed to be entrained by this liberated current. rIhis increases the volume of the gas or air under pressure but, of course, slightly reduces its pressure. 'The resulting current of gas'or air with its vol unie augmented by the eiitraiiied gas or air then passes iiito an accumulator. According to my invention, I provide means between the injector and the accumulator orelectively preventing any possibility of a backward flow of gas or air from the accumulator through the injector.

In practice I prefer to employ more than vone injector, placing them in tandem; Furthermore, I prefer to augment thel action of Vthe high pressure nozzle by employing a secondarynozzle for conductingair from the accumulator and eiitraining the same with the flowing current. In other words, I liberate an air current under a relatively high pressure and admit an entrained current of the gas or air of a relatively lower pressure and may augment tliisadmitted low lpressure air with other air or gas taken from the accumulator which is being charged. In other words I utilize a regenerating flow of the gas or air from'the accumulator.

I shall now describe the apparatus illustrated which is adapted for producing a relatively large quantity of air from a relatively smaller quantity of more highly compressed air.

referring to Figure 1, 1 represents the reservoir for air under a relatively high pressure, that is to say, a pressure higher than that to which the air to be compressed is to be raised. Air from this reservoir 1 is supplied by pipe connections 2 to injectors A, B, and C. These injectors are preferably arranged in tandem, the injector A ha ring a high pressure inlet nozzle 3 that is located coaxially in a converging inlet 4C for tree air. rlhe air current flowing Jfrom the nozzle 3 passes through a small opening 5 into the body 6 of the injector. In the present instance, it delivers the air current augmented by the entrained free air, .into a chamber 7. This chamber may, if desired, have an outletJ delivering air to the next injector B. However, I prefer to provide the chamber 7 with an injector inlet 8 which delivers a current of air at a pressure lower than that maintained in the reservoir 1.

In the present instance, this current through the nozzle 8 may be supplied by a pipe connection 9 from reservoir or accumulator 10 to which the concentrated air is delivered. The nozzle 8 entrains the air in the chamber 7 and passes it through an inner nozzle 11 into a chamber 12 which chamber is provided with an entraining nozzle 18 connected with the pipe connection 2 for admitting another quantity of high pressure air from the reservoir 1. rIhe air passing from the nozzle 13 entrains the air in the chamber 12 and delivers the same through a delivery nozzle 1li. If desired, this delivery ulator 10. However, I prefer to have this nozzle 14 may deliver directly to the accumulator 10. However, I prefer to have this air into the injector B. This injector B has the same construction as the injector A except that the areas of the corresponding nozzles or passages for the air are slightlv7 larger than those of the injector 8 to ac commodate the increased volume ol air. In other words, in the nozzle B the flowing air current is augmented by air from the pipe connection 9 and by air from the pipe connection 2. T he injector B then delivers the air current through a delivery nozzle 15 which is slightly larger than the delivery nozzle 1l. The delivery nozzle 15 delivers the augmented air current to another injector C. The injector C is'similar in its construction and in its operation to the injectors A and B. Each of the injectors B and C is Jformed with an air inlet 16 through which free air is entrained to swell the current of air moving toward the accumulator l0. It desired, the delivery spout 17 of the injector C may deliver the air directly Jthrough a check valve 18 into a pipe line 19 letting the air into the accumulator 10.

I prefer, however, to employ the choker device 20 located in the line between the injector C and the accumulator. The function of this choker is to prevent a back-flow of air from the accumulator 10. For this purpose I prefer to employ a rotary multiple nozzle 21 which may be of cylindrical form having a central bore 22 which is in alignment with the nozzle 17. This bore or central chamber 22 connects with a plurality oi radial passages 23, each passage having a tangent branch 24 which delivers the air in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 4). This outward flow of air under pressure produces a reaction against the side wall 25 orF each passage 23, that is to say, it produces an unbalanced pressure against the wall 25 which is the forward wall of the passage with respect to the direction of rotation of the nozzle.

The nozzle 21 is rotatably mounted in ball bearings 26a and 266 in a cylindrical asing 27 formed of two sections connected together by bolts 28 through their flanges rlhe ball bearing 2Gb is formed in a neck 3() or" slightly larger diameter than the ball bearing and providing an annular passage 31 through which the air moves outwardly.4 The ball bearing 26a is held in an Vinner sleeve 32 in the neck 30 which is cast integrally with the casing 27 and connected to the neck by radial webs 33.

rlhe neck delivers the air to a reducing connection 34, which connects to the check valve 18 Jfrom which the air passes to the accumulator.

In forming the passages 23 and 24;, they are most conveniently formed by drilling the passages 23 radially and closing up their outer ends by screw plugs 35.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In air concentrating apparatus, the combination of means for supplying air under pressure, an injector having a high pressure inlet nozzle connected to the said supply means for liberating a current of air under pressure and having a free-air inlet associated with the high pressure inlet for entraining free air into the liberated air current, said injector having an outlet, a second injector nozzle receiving air from the last named outlet, having an inlet for entraining free air into the air current, an accumulator for air under pressure, means for injecting the air current from the second injector into the said accumulator, and means for admitting air directly into said injectors from said accumulator and for entraining free air into said injectors.

In gas concentrating apparatus the combination of a source of supply for the gas under pressure, an injector having a nozzle connected with the source of supply for liberating a current of gas under pressure, and having an inlet for entraining a quantity of said gas at a lower pressure into the liberated air current, an accumulator maintained under pressure VVand a lmultiple and thesaid accumulator through which the gase passes into the accumulator.

3. In air concentrating apparatus, the combination ofY means for supplying air under pressure, a pair of injectors arranged in tandem withthe rear injector connected with the supply means, an accumulator for the gas maintained under-pressure receiving air from the'other injector, said injectors having means for entraining .free air, and means in said injectors for entraining air taken from the said accumulator, and a rotary choker device between the second nozzle and the accumulator operating to prevent the back flow of air from the accumulator. Y Y

4. In an air concentrating apparatus, the combination of a high pressure air reservoir for holding air at a relatively high pressure, a low pressure reservoir for containing air at a lower pressure, a plurality of entraining nozzles having means for admitting atmospheric air at a plurality of points, pipes connecting with the high pressure air reservoir for delivering high pressure air directly from the high. pressure reservoir into said nozzles to entrain air at a lower pressure and pipes connecting the low pressure reservoir with said nozzles at a plurality of points to augment the quantity Vof air in the current passing through said nozzles.

5. In an air concentrating apparatus, vthe combination of a high pressure air reservoir for holding air at a relatively high pressure, a low pressure reservoir for containing air at a lower pressure, a plurality of entraining nozzles having means for admitting atmospheric air at a plurality of points, pipes connecting with the high pressure air reservoir for delivering high pressure air directly from the high pressure reservoir into said nozzles to entrain air at a lower pressure and pipes connecting the low pressure reservoir with said nozzles at a plurality of points to augment the quantity of air in the current passing through said nozzle, so that allot the air admitted through the said pipes.

passes continuously in the forward direction in the nozzles when admitted thereto.

6; In an air concentrating apparatus, the combination of a supply reservoir for holding air under pressure,ja low pressure accu` mulator reservoir for containing air at a low pressure, a plurality of entraining nozzles' vthe nozzles with the low pressure air reservoir operating to collect and store'all the air passing through the nozzles, in the accumularotary nozzle located between the injector vtor reservoir.

Signed at Los'Angeles, California, this 16th day of October, 1928.

- WILLIAM B. HALE.

having means for admitting atmospheric air at a plurality of points, pipes connecting the supply reservoir with the said entraining nozzles at a plurality of points 'for delivering air directly from the supply reservoir into said nozzles to entrain the atmospheric air, means for connecting the delivery end of CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,806,941. Graeed May 26, 1931, to

WILLIAM B. HALE.

it is hereby certified that error apeears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring ceijrection as follows: Page 2, line 39, beginning with "uiator 10" strike out al! to and inciuding the Werd "this" end e? line 41, and insert instead nozzle 14 may deiivef direetiy `te the zn'seenlilatm l0. Hewever, I prefer to have this deivery nezzle 14 deiiver the curreiit of;

and that the said Letters'Patent should be read with this eerreetion theein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of August, A. D. 1931.

Wm. A. Kinnan, (Seal) .Acting Commissioner of P atents. 

